Apple to raise prices due to memory chip shortage, CEO tells WSJ - CNA

Apple plans to raise product prices due to a shortage of memory chips, according to CEO Tim Cook, who told the Wall Street Journal. The surge in demand for data center components driven by AI has inte... Read original →

Soaring AI data center demand for HBM is cannibalizing DRAM and NAND supply for consumer devices, forcing Apple to concede pricing pressure is unsustainable. Technically, this accelerates adoption of LPDDR5X/6 and intensifies co-design between SoCs and memory subsystems—making TSMC’s (China Taiwan) CoWoS advanced packaging capacity a critical chokepoint. On the compliance front, U.S.-EU 'friend-shoring' initiatives clash with the reality that mature-node memory production remains concentrated in South Korea and mainland China, heightening supply chain risk. Rivals like Samsung and Google may adjust hardware pricing, while mid-tier brands such as Xiaomi could sacrifice margins to retain market share. Over the next 18 months, volatile memory costs will redefine consumer electronics pricing models—Apple’s move signals a systemic breakdown in cost absorption across the sector.